Quantum Lubrication: Suppression of Friction in a First Principle Four Stroke Heat Engine

Abstract

A quantum model of a heat engine resembling the Otto cycle is employed to explore strategies to suppress frictional losses. These losses are caused by the inability of the engine's working medium to follow adiabatically the change in the Hamiltonian during the expansion and compression stages. By adding external noise to the engine, frictional losses can be suppressed.

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